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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Jefferson's interest in sending an expedition westward was to find

2. When Sacagawea recalls the place where she was kidnapped by the Hidatsas, she

3. Lewis and Clark secretly planned to send three men back to St. Louis to deliver

4. On their journey over the Bitterroots, Lewis and his men found

5. Captain Clark's commission named him only as a

Short Essay Questions

1. What in Lewis' childhood may have contributed to his later accomplishments?

2. The trip through the Bitterroot Mountains is a particularly gruesome time or the expedition. Starvation, rough terrain, cold and illness forces the men to take desperate measures. What were they and why didn't the expedition turn back?

3. What is Lewis' plan at this point for the remainder of the trip?

4. Why was Jefferson so interested in exploring the West?

5. How did the expedition manage to drag its boats over land?

6. Describe the irony in Lewis' attitude toward Native Americans and African Americans.

7. Why was it fortuitous that the group encountered the Nez Perce Indians?

8. Is it obvious why Clark's commission stayed that of lieutenant and not captain? How did that affect the two leaders?

9. Discuss the perception of the speed of travel in Jefferson's time in 1801.

10. What is Lewis' goal in trying to make peace between the Arikaras and the Mandans? Why does he involve himself in their dispute?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a narrative essay on the weapons the expedition took with them. On page 85, the author describes the US Model 1803 Army rifle, and others are described throughout the story.

1) Research what was available during that time for the expedition, what they used for, how accurate they were, what distances they could cover, their weight, how they were loaded and what kind of ammunition was used.

2) Find out about the "air rifle" that Lewis used to astonish the Indians. Was there only one of these on the expedition? How did it work? Was it copied later?

3) Define and describe a blunderbuss, its purpose what replaced it as an army weapon.

Essay Topic 2

Write a critical essay about Thomas Jefferson and his wild ideas of a water route to the Pacific.

1) What were Jefferson's motives? Were they mercenary? Why did he want to be the one to find the passage?

2) Do you feel Jefferson sacrificed Lewis, knowing that the odds were against his returning safely?

3) Did Jefferson desert Lewis in his time of need? Did he fight for him after he left office when his vouchers were in question?

4) Why did Jefferson lay the burden of publishing the data on Lewis personally, and later on Clark?

Essay Topic 3

Write a research essay about the history of syphilis in the US:

1) What are the symptoms and effects of the disease, and the prognosis in the 1800s?

2) Was there the same level of epidemic of syphilis in Europe?

3) How was it treated in Europe?

4) What was finally discovered that got syphilis under control?

5) What famous people died during that century from syphilis?

(see the answer keys)

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